The Golem and the Jinni

Expertly written. Ahmad and Chava (the jinni and the golem, respectively) are well fleshed out and identifiable characters. I connected with both very quickly and cared very much what happened to both throughout. They are immigrants into the Syrian and Jewish communities of turn-of-the-20th century lower Manhattan, but are also immigrants into the human race as well. The story focuses on their struggles to assimilate into society and discover themselves, all the while trying to avoid exposure and, later on, subjugation by the antagonist -- an essentially immortal wizard linked to the jinni (but I won't give away too much plot).

Wecker completely transports the reader into this world and doesn't let you up for air once. There is no pandering philosophy, over-description, or bogged down passages -- which is saying a lot for a book of 600+ pages for a first-time writer. It reads fast and at times makes you feel like you are not reading at all (a rare and gem-defining point of any book). I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to stop. Should have won every award it was nominated for and gotten even more recognition that it did. Non-genre readers will appreciate equally well. A masterpiece.